Memories and Traditions

Hi people!

Today I will be sharing something special with you.

You know those special times with loved ones, sad times, or just plain silly times?  I've had a few of those. And I'd like to share some of those memories with y'all.

Something that I will remember always is just a little thing. I remember our cousins visiting from out of state: two girls and a boy. Two of them are older than me, and when they would visit, my mom would put a Lonestar CD in the player.  The very first song on the CD is "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", and us kids (ranging from the ages of 10 to 3) would just dance around the house.  I was the youngest at that time, and to be included in their fun, to dance and laugh… now, every time I hear that song, I think of dancing with my siblings and cousins. ;)

December 25, 2008

It was Christmas morning.  All the children were excited to open presents and stockings. Kaitlyn was on her way to the Christmas tree when the phone rang.

They didn't open presents that morning.

They rushed to the local hospital, where Kaitlyn's grandfather was being airlifted to the city with severe pneumonia.  

There he stayed in ICU for 40 days.  

He was not expected to live.

I remember visiting the hospital, staying in the waiting room doing jigsaw puzzles, jealous because my older brothers could visit Grandpa but I couldn't because I was too young to visit ICU.

Until one day.

My parents came to us with face masks to put on.  I didn't like the masks, feeling that they made me look silly.  But I put it on, and Kordell and I were ushered into Grandpa's room.  He looked so weak, with tubes and IV's attached to him.
"They're happy to see you," Grandma said. "You can see it in their eyes."
The doctors had let us see him because he wasn't expected to live through another day.
But God performed a miracle; in February of 2009, Grandpa was released from the hospital and he is still alive and well today!

Traditions.
They are fun.
(Yes, that's all I have to say; what more needs to be said?)
We have several traditions in the Krispense household.
1. Each year, we make Brenig with my grandma.  We go to our grandparents' house, and us kids will roll the cookies and place them on the pans while Grandma cuts them. (I'm sorry if that sounds confusing; it's hard to explain.)  Brenig is a foreign peppermint cookie that is about the texture of heavy cake.  It's a Krispense favorite.
2. Christmas Eve program at church.  Somebody organizes some sort of program, whether it's a simple candlelight service or a pageant performed by the kids.  This year we're having music with a slideshow. :)
4. Daddy usually reads an advent story.  We especially like the books by Arnold Ytreeide: Tabitha's Travels, Jotham's Journey, Bartholemew's Passage, and Ishtar's Odyssey.  Each of these books actually have one or two of the characters from the other books, so it's neat to see how all the stories tie together. ;)

And, I suppose another tradition would be listening to the Oak Ridge Boys Christmas CD while decorating, or making brenig, or eating on Christmas Eve :D
I'll include the first song here.

Well, there ya go; a couple of Christmas memories, and some traditions that our family enjoys.
What are your favorite Christmas memories and traditions?
~Kaitlyn